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Madden 08 Weapons
Weapons are the arguably biggest new feature in Madden 08. Weapons are little logos that represent a given specialty a player has in a given area. They serve not only as labels and warnings, but also as a special "power"; for instance, a Speed Back is much faster than the average back. Madden 08 houses 24 weapons on the XBOX, but 27 on PC and PlayStation. Below is a list of every weapon, its effect, and its weakness. XBOX Weapons QB Weapons Cannon Arm QB Cannon Arm QB is given to a player when he has 95 or higher Throw Power rating. These guys can send the ball across the feild with tremendous speed. To stop these QBs, use Shutdown Corners, Smart Safeties, Press Corners, and Aggressive Defense. Cannon Arm QBs are easy to get a pick off of with good coverage, and they oftentimes miss their target. Deep Zone coverage and blitzes are good against these players.Some Cannon Arm QBs are JaMarcus Russell, Brett Favre, and Byron Leftwich. Accurate QB Accuracy QB is given when a player has very high accuracy, generally in the 94 and higher area. They are famed for putting the ball on the money almost every single time. Unlike Cannon Arm QBs, these guys are most susceptible to strong strategy rather than skill. To stop a Accurate QB, force him out of the pocket, then sack him, or force him to be on the move while throwing, lowering his accuracy. Due to lack of power in throws, you can also just use good coverage and, if the pass is in the middle of the field, use a Safety to get a pick. Philip Rivers and Chad Pennington are Accurate QBs. Smart QB Smart QBs are generally the best QBs in the game. They are feared for their ability to read the defense. Pressing RT and LB when their light bulb logo is full will reveal the defense's playart. From there, the Offense will know where to strike. Smart QBs also are generally very strong in other matters too, and many should also be stratigized against as Accurate and Cannon Arm QBs. To stop these keen QBs, range play calls to keep them guessing all day. Most Smart QBs have enormous Awareness, the lowest possible it can be being 92. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Carson Palmer are all Smart QBs. Speed QB Speed QBs are the rarest type of QBs there are. They are known for how fast they can move. They need an 85 or higher speed to have this ability. Speed QBs will oftentimes leave the pocket to avoid a sack, and have no trouble just going off on their own downfield as a ball carrier. They are, however, the easiest to stop, although a big hassle oftentimes, because you cannot forget about their running capabilities. Stop Speed QBs with Spy plays as well as a large amount of players at the line of scrimmage. Strip the ball from them if they leave the pocket. Michael Vick, Vince Young, and Senaca Wallace are Speed QBs. RB Weapons Elusive Back Elusive Backs specialize in slipping out of tackles. They have strong Spin moves and powerful elusiveness, and are hard to grip with basic tackles. Elusive Backs have 93 or higher Elusiveness as well as Spin Moves in the nighties as well. These players, have no real weakness when it comes to play calling, since they can rip past many players with Highlight moves. However, they have a huge, blaring weakness. Elusive Backs are fumble-prone. They are generally small, and when they collide with Brick Wall Defenders and Heavy Hitters, they generally fall backwards, which can lead to a fumble. Power Back Power Backs are the counterpart to Elusive Backs. Unlike them, Power Backs generally have strong Trucking abilities, as well as sensational Stiff Arms. Instead of slipping by defenders, Power Backs ram into defenders and send them to the ground. They are a good deal more brutal than their counterpart, as well as a lot harder to cope with as defense. To stop these guys, use Brick Wall Defenders and Heavy Hitters to knock them down, but don't expect a fumble --in fact, they'll generally fall forward, earning 2 extra yards on average. Brandon Jacobs, Larry Johnson, and Michael Turner are Power Backs. Stiff Arm Ball Carrier Stiff Arm Carriers have godly Stiff Arms. When they find the open field at the sidelines, defenders coming in from the side will meet his great stiff arm that will probably send him to the ground. These players are somewhat one-dimensional, however, and are only truly useful when the situation is perfect. To stop a Stiff Arm Ball Carrier, strip the ball or use a head-on collision attempt such as Hit Stick or a dive from the front or back. Stay away from the sides of these players and keep them in the gut. Willis McGahee, and Laurence Maroney, are Stiff Arm Ball Carriers. Receiving Weapons Possession Receiver Possession Receivers are the masters of catching the ball amongst a mob of angry defenders. Whenever a player's Catch in Traffic rating is remarkably high, one will get this weapon. These are great for long, lobbed passes because it makes for a lot of yards gained, and since these guys are good at beating the defense in a group, you can count on 40+ gains. Stop these guys with big and heavy defenders in mid-air with the Hit Stick, and don't forget to use Heavy Hitters to get them hard. Getting a pick ahead of time is an option as well. Anquan Boldin, Hines Ward, and TJ Houshmanzadeh have this weapon. Quick Receiver Do not mix up their names with Speed Receivers. Whenever a player's route-running ability is strong, he may get the Quick Receiver weapon. These guys are exceptionally strong at breaking from corners and are oftentimes a QB's Go-to guy. Quick Receivers will spin, juke, sprint, break off, and much more to find an easy pass for his QB. Quick Receivers will dominate the game when against Press Coverage Corner weapons, but they do have a weakness. Shutdown Corner weapons will glue onto Quick Receivers, rendering them practically useless. Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, and Chad Johnson are Quick Receivers. Hands Hands Receivers are the closest relative to Possession Receivers. Unlike their relative, Hands Receivers are good at holding onto badly thrown balls that are off-target, and rarely drop balls. They are all about consistency. This weapon is given for a strong Catch rating. To stop these players, use Receiver Spotlight to give the receiver more people to deal with. Be aware that Hands receivers are very hard to get a fumble on, so don't risk using the strip ball tackle: it will almost always fail. Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, and Larry Fitzgerald have the Hands weapon. Spectacular Catch Receiver Spectacular Catch Receivers are the most extravagant Receivers out there. If a QB makes a bad throw, chances are a Spectacular Catch Receiver will come to save the day with a leaping, one handed, or diving catch, an ability no other type of receiver can do. They are capable of catching the ball way up in the air, making picks something nearly impossible. Stop these receivers with Heavy Hitters and Shutdown Corner weapons --they are often vulnerable to big hits when preforming a spectacular catch. Chris Chambers, Plaxico Burress, and Randy Moss are Spectacular Catch Receiver weapons.